10 4 NejiTen
by Midnight Memories
Summary: My contribution for I.Heart.Hatake.Kakashi's 'Ten for NejiTen' Prompt challenge! Proudly first to complete said challenge! Woot!
1. Info

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the prompts.

Hi everyone!

As the title says, this is the _Ten for NejiTen_ challenge (sorry E, hope you don't mind I rattled with the title a bit… XD Wanted to make it original…) from I.Heart.Hatake.Kakashi! After being forced into it, I began writing for her prompts, and the collection of them is what you are currently reading. Here are the prompts:

1. There comes a time, when every lonely little boy must learn to dance.  
2. Hope is a waking dream.  
3. Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.  
4. If you wait too long for the perfect moment, the perfect moment will pass you by.  
5. Not to know is bad, not to wish to know is worse.  
6. Woman is a miracle of divine contradictions  
7. The difference between friendship and love is how much you can hurt each other.  
8. For everything gained; something is lost.  
9. As evening twilight fades away, the sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.  
10. One kiss breaches the distance between friendship and love.

So enjoy!  
Take care!


	2. Prompt 1

Disclaimer: Don't own anything

_**Prompt number one: There comes a time, when every lonely little boy must learn to dance.**_

"You know, Neji, a suit really does fit you! You do appear very youthful!" Lee exclaimed in the fitting room as a man from a local store flickered around Neji proudly.

"Hn," the shinobi replied as he once again shot a glance towards the mirror. Lee was right, sadly. The black suit fitted him to perfection, its style suiting perfectly the formal dinner he was attending.

Hinata-sama's promotion to leader of the Hyuuga clan.

Naturally, he had to attend, and Hinata had required of him to bring a date. His sneaky little cousin definitely had known that he would have asked Tenten, which is exactly what he did.

Fortunately, she had agreed happily. Neji had then been forced into learning how to dance at the precious age of eighteen. He had thought that his days of being ordered around were over, yet he was definitely wrong. His teacher had been relentless, making him feel as though he was actually in one of his first training session as a Genin.

Five minutes left until he'd get to step into that room.

Five minutes, and he'd be able to show Tenten what he'd learned. He had refused to tell her about his dance classes, firstly to avoid any judgment on the side of the pretty kunoichi, yet later on decided that it would give her a beautiful surprise. After all, even though every shinobi were taught agility, dancing itself wasn't quite a part of the Academy's curriculum. But through all the struggles, he had managed to make it. He had learnt how to dance.

Only two minutes now. Lee had also been fitted in a suit, deep green of course, but had reluctantly allowed his hair to be trimmed and washed. Now devoid of bowl-cut, greased up hair, he had nice layers that would certainly give Gai a heart attack. It definitely suited the boy, almost instantly shaving off the roundness of his face and the cruel arch of his eyebrows.

Neji, meanwhile, had gone through the last few hours simply getting his hair brushed by an overly-excited Hanabi. The young girl had refused that he tied it up and had spent too much time simply running every kind of brush and comb possible through his hair.

Finally, it was time.

Lee had already run through the dining room and was now complimenting pretty much every girl in the room about how beautiful they looked to him. Neji, after taking one last look at his perfectly-combed hair and his fitted dark suit, finally entered the ballroom.

The room was beautifully decorated, just as every corner of the Hyuuga clan was. Gorgeous shades of dark violet and white marble surrounded the room, complete with bright green plants and golden chandeliers. Just like many men who waited for their woman, Neji halted in front of the long staircase as girls began to descend. Everyone was dressed up, with hair either flowing down or tightly wrapped in a fancy up-do.

Finally, his eyes fell upon Tenten, and he swallowed painfully. She was dressed in a deep blue dress, her curled hair falling over her shoulders. Beautiful jewels adorned her ears and her neck, yet her smile shone just as brightly as the diamonds.

Their eyes locked and she finished walking down the stairs, before taking his outreached hand gladly. After staring at him up and down, she murmured softly, "You look quite nice, Neji."

"As do you," he replied, keeping his pale eyes glued into hers.

The orchestra began playing and the lights dimmed slightly. Keeping her hand tightly in his, Neji nodded towards the ballroom floor. "May I have this dance?"

Tenten's smile grew as she nodded; slightly surprised that Neji would ask her such a frivolous thing. The couple slowly made their way to the middle of the dance floor, where Neji carefully began moving along the symphony of violins.

They were the first couple to be brave enough to dance.


	3. Prompt 2

A/N: Why can't I make things longer than 800 words… Psh. v.v'

Well, for a fic that I had ZERO inspiration on, I don't think it turned out that bad. XD All my thanks to Iky, who poked my brain until I found something to write about. :D

Take care!

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_**Prompt number two: **___

**Hope is a waking dream.**

"Goodbye, Gai-Sensei!" Lee shouted tearfully as the older green beast gave him a thumb up and departed the area. Shedding the small amount of water that had glistened upon his cheeks, the spandex-wearing youth turned on his heels and began to walk away. His sensei and father-figure might be gone on a mission, but that wouldn't stop Lee from training!

His walk soon turned into a jog, which evolved into a fast race as he headed towards Team Gai's training ground. The sun was high in the sky, announcing dinner-time, yet Lee had already eaten before showing his sensei out of the village. Now he could surely catch his two teammates peacefully having lunch and could grace them with his youthful presence.

Yet as he finally reached his destination, he forced himself into a grinding halt before entering the area, remaining hidden behind a thick amount of foliage. A sudden giggle rose to his lips at the scene, and he leaned lower to be able to spy.

Neji was currently lying on his back, his arms crossed under the back of his head, while Tenten was sitting besides him, her legs spread out in front of her. Slowly, she rummaged through the picnic basket she had brought, pulling out grapes. She lowered one gently to the prodigy's lips, who reluctantly ate it after a grunt of annoyance. Tenten simply chuckled as she attempted the trick again.

Lee watched for what felt like hours, the smile never leaving his face. About two months ago, the couple had finally told the rest of Konoha about their relationship. They had grudgingly admitted it to Lee and Gai months ago, when the two Green Beasts had found the couple in a rather compromising position one day. Yet as soon as the news had spread throughout the village, many had been surprised to learn about how long it had really been.

But deep down, everyone had known. They just all needed a little push of certainty sometimes.

As Lee watched on curiously, Neji suddenly grabbed Tenten's hand as she attempted to feed him again and pulled her down against him. The kunoichi squealed with both surprise and delight as she fell down, then only grinned and comfortably settled at his side.

It warmed Lee to see Tenten so joyful. Ever since they had been placed on the same team, Tenten had always been enamored of the Hyuuga. Though almost a master at hiding it, Lee had often noticed how the sweet bubbly girl's eyes always shone a tiny bit brighter when Neji would talk to or compliment her.

While other girls would despair when their object of attention would shun them, Tenten had always taken that opportunity to get stronger so that she could prove herself to him. When he'd look away, she'd scream to get his attention. When he'd tell her that she wasn't strong enough to keep training, she'd stubbornly reach for her weapons. And when he downright insulted her…

She'd smirk and remember that for every few insults he gave her, there was a compliment soon on its way.

Lee smiled as he realized exactly what Neji represented to the girl. He was the one that kept her going when times got rough. Neji was her hope.

Turning his eyes to Neji, Lee once again allowed his mind to wander at the boy's past. The Prodigy had always been cold and hateful, resenting anything he _felt_ like resenting. Including, sadly, his teammates. But as time went on, the white-eyed boy had begun to slowly trust them, and then moved on to open himself to them. Soon, he would smirk. Then chuckle. Then nowadays, when he was alone with Tenten, Lee would often hear his laugh in the distance.

He also knew that it wasn't thanks to him. It was thanks to the precious flower of their team. She had managed to somehow worm her way into his heart, and now had him wrapped around her little finger. That might sound as though she was controlling him, but Neji needed some control. It turned him into a better person.

"She's just a dream come true," Neji had admitted one day when Lee and he had been practicing alone. Ever since, Lee had been calling Tenten 'Neji's waking dream'. At first, it had annoyed both of the couple, but not long after, Neji had made the connection and Tenten had come to take it as a compliment.

Lee now stepped out of the foliage and walked towards the couple, who had fallen asleep together. They were so alike- almost as though they had been made for each other.

_'Neji is Tenten, while Tenten is Neji…'_ Lee thought, as he smiled down at his two best friends. Then his voice dropped in volume, as he whispered, "Hope… is a waking dream."


	4. Prompt 3

**A/N: **Finally, a prompt with more than a thousand words! XD E, I think you'll like this one. It has all the drama I adore writing! About time I find a prompt that touches my style! XD

And yes, I do know I have a flashback. Even though they're not even half as good as yours.

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**Prompt three: Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.**

The ticking of the clock was loud in contrast with the everlasting silence that came with living in the Hyuuga household. Yet somehow, the ticking blended in with the room, since its sound was a commonly listened-to one. Sounds like that, along with sometimes the soft noise of an animal or fluttering robes and footsteps of people walking in the corridor, managed to vanish in scenery. They didn't matter. They were still small in decibels, which meant that you had to strain to hear it, hence keeping the room in the category of "silent".

Silence often equals purity, since no amount of volume taints it. The room was also white, the furniture all pale in colors. Even the carpet was a soft, feathery white and the counters snow-colored marble. White also could be recommended as purity, just like silence was.

Only two things tainted the pureness of the room. Darkness, and the racking sounds of heartbroken sobs.

It was well-past midnight when Tenten lay curled in bed. She had stifled her face in the whispery pillows, the tears flowing uncontrollably down her face. Her body was wrapped in a soft pale pink satin nightgown, given to her by Hinata on her wedding day. Since she was inside, in the safety of her room, her hair was broken of its usual styles and lay around her head in tangles.

After a few minutes, she calmed down slightly, lying on her left side and staring blankly at the window, where yet another house was being built a kilometer away. Deep down, she knew that it wasn't the window she was supposed to be looking at right now, but her husband. He was shining by his absence, once again.

Their relationship had been going so well. First, a bit of flirting, then dating, and then he had cracked the question. That would forever be a moment she'd remember. Afterwards, he had brought her to meet the council, who had agreed to bless their union if Neji remained as a worker for the Hyuuga Clan and the two would move in the compound. Both had happily agreed, especially after weeks of preparing arguments, both ready to fight for their future together.

The first few months of wedlock had been amazing. For weeks on end, Tenten had told anyone who'd listen how an amazing husband Neji was, and even the latter would find himself talking about his sweetheart more often than he usually did.

But in the last fifteen weeks, they had somehow grown apart. More than often, the prodigy would get up early and go to bed late, both times when Tenten would be sleeping. Days could go by where the girl wouldn't see her husband, but what was scaring her most, was her doubts. She was unsure if his claims to be working harder to please the council were true.

Tenten knew there were still women that had an eye out on the handsome Hyuuga. Especially now that these girls had something that she now didn't have…

_-Flashback-_

_"I am what!?" Tenten gaped as she stared at Shizune._

_The black-haired woman nodded confidently, a smile glued on her features. "I ran it twice to make sure. I really didn't want to give you and Neji false hope."_

_Tenten looked down at the floor, feeling hot tears stinging at her eyelids. Her eyes moved lightly around the sterile room of the doctor's office, unbelieving what was happening. Struggling to keep her voice even, she stammered, "How much time do I have before it shows?"_

_Shizune slowly lost her smile and rolled her chair over so she could be sitting closer to the girl. Concerned, she murmured quietly, "Are you having troubles with your husband, Tenten? Is that why you're asking?"_

_"Just answer my question, Shizune," Tenten pleaded, as one tear managed to escape. "Please."_

_The woman reached over to take the younger girl's hand in her own, tightly holding it. "You have about four months before it really shows, but if you wear looser clothing you might hide it a bit longer." She took a pause, then hesitantly added, "But you should tell him, Tenten. After all, it's his child too."_

_-End of Flashback-_

Slowly rolling over, Tenten brushed the tears from her face and stared at the ceiling. Carefully, she placed a hand on her stomach, feeling the bulge of the baby inside of her. She had gone through every single morning sickness alone, managed the back pains, nausea, every weird craving, and she had now begun to feel the first movement in her belly. It had been exactly three weeks that she hadn't spoken to Neji, only catching brief glances of him when he'd slip in their bed in the middle of the night, before drifting to sleep.

She was now four months pregnant, and he still didn't know.

Tenten had planned it all night, having asked a servant to tell Neji she had to speak to him that night. He had sent back word that he would attempt to make it on time.

He never came.

Gently, Tenten sat up on the bed and leaned back after propping up her pillows. She was scared- frightened that Neji had noticed her stretching belly, and had gone to take comfort in a thinner and prettier girl. A shudder rasped through her as she closed her eyes, swallowing painfully, as the familiar stress of the unknown began to rack through her.

After learning of her pregnancy by Shizune, Tenten had immediately required a mission to clear her thoughts. Her husband never knew that she was leaving, and Tenten had been unable to locate him to tell him. Heartbroken, she had gone away to the Mist Village.

There, she had met an older woman, who had taken Tenten in for the night of her stay. Once she had been settled in and had noticed the lady lovingly kiss her husband before going to work, she had broken down in an incessant array of tears. The woman had shooed husband and children away to take Tenten in her arms, who had poured out everything that had happened to her recently.

"What," she had cried out, "if he's cheating on me? I'll never get over him! How would I be able to live with the knowledge that he doesn't love me anymore!?" Then another thought had attacked her. "What if he denies it? I don't know if I can fully trust him!"

The lady had simply told her, "Ask him no question, and he'll tell you no lies."

That had been exactly what Tenten had done. But now, months later, she was still boiling with the unknown questions that raged through her. Slowly, she began to gradually cry again, just as the clock struck the 2'o clock mark.

Eventually, the door creaked open, and a figure slipped inside. Surprised, Tenten forced herself to stifle her tears, yet it was too late. Resolving herself, she once again began weeping, letting the sound drift over the strong shinobi who had just entered.

"Tenten?" he called out quietly, a tint of worry crossing his tone. Hurriedly, he made his way through the darkness, not even taking time to slip on night clothes or to kick off his shoes. He sat on the edge of the bed, but reached over and tugged on the lamp. Light flooded the room, momentarily stunning the girl's eyes as she brushed her glistening cheeks.

"It's alright," she managed to choke out. "Just go to sleep, you'll be tired tomorrow."

"Don't act this way," he countered, finally taking off his shoes. He then crawled on the bed until he was seated directly besides her. "You're upset. Tell me what's wrong."

After a small struggle over what exactly to reveal to him, she finally snapped and cried, "You! You're what's wrong! This has been going on for weeks and weeks and you never noticed! You're barely here anymore!"

Neji took on the lashing without moving a muscle. Gently, he reached over and took her chin in his hands, moving her to face him. "Tenten, when we got married, what were the conditions given by the council?"

"That we'd stay here," she murmured tearfully, "and that you'd work for them."

"Exactly, and what am I doing?"

"That. You're doing just that," Tenten continued unhappily. "But what's the point in respecting the conditions of the wedding if you're not even spending time with the bride?"

Neji sighed once again and moved to slip his arms around her. He drew her to him carefully, and she reluctantly snuggled down into his warm embrace. Her eyes naturally dropped closed and she lovingly pressed her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his intoxicating scent.

"Tenten, I have something I need to admit to you."

She froze, her heart suddenly beginning to pound faster. She nodded, unable to trust her voice to urge him to go on.

Neji sighed, waiting a few seconds. Finally, he said, "I've been unhappy with how things were. Living here in the compound, almost no private life, tons of work to do, ANBU pressuring me to take up a job, and our relationship straining…" He paused slightly. "It's been giving me a lot of tension."

"Oh my gosh…" Tenten murmured, feeling fresh tears emerging. "You're… Neji… are you cheating on me?"

As soon as she uttered the words, Neji instantly pulled back to look at her, surprise evident on his features. "What!?" he managed, unbelieving. "What in the world made you think that?"

"Then why are you spending all that time away?" she whimpered. "Where have you been?"

Neji shook his head lightly, before turning his piercing white eyes on her. "I'm assuming it's about time I tell you my secret. This has been doing enough damage. First of all, I never want you to consider the possibility of me being unfaithful. I love you, which is why I married you. I would never change my mind on this, Tenten!"

This was exactly what she wanted to hear. She nodded weakly in understanding. "Then what is it?"

"I've made a deal with Hiashi, and my end of the bargain were a ridiculous amount of hours at work." He took a pause, then finally pointed out of the window and said, "I thought that it was time for us to move out. Get our own little residence. It's being built right over there." He then smiled lightly. "I figured that if you couldn't watch me sleep, you might as well watch our future home."

The woman's eyes filled slightly at the implication, her heart beginning to race happily. "Neji…"

"Don't say anything. I felt those hours of longing too, Tenten," he murmured quietly, hugging her close to him. "I love you. I want us to start thinking of starting a family."

Tenten's eyes fluttered shut as an overpowering wave of guilt crashed through her. All along, he had only been doing what he thought best for them. All those hours of separation, he had suffered through them as much as she had. Yet she had lied to him. She had purposefully hidden something from him that was his right to know.

With infinite torture, she pulled herself from his arms, looking down at the soft white sheets that covered their bed. Gently, she picked up a corner and began to study it, but Neji only reached over and slipped his hand over hers.

"What's bothering you, Tenten?" he questioned quietly, his face serious. "Do you still doubt my words?"

She smiled softly and shook her head. "No. I know you're saying the truth." She bit her bottom lip, then slowly continued. "Neji… I'm over four months pregnant." Afterwards, she rapidly added, "I'm so sorry!"

The words hung still into the air for a few seconds, seconds of brutal pain for the kunoichi. Then, her husband quietly replied, "I already knew."

She whirled her head to face him, slightly incredulous. A faint line of a smirk was covering his expression, as he reached over to press his forehead against hers. "Do you really think I used to come in the room, slip on my side of the bed, and then go to sleep? Tenten, for those weeks I haven't seen you, I had always studied you until I was certain I could remember every little detail about you the next day. The signs were rather obvious after a while, since I've known your body type for years, but I wanted you to be the one to announce it to me."

"Once again," she said, her body already flooding itself with relief. "I really am sorry. For our second child, I'll promise I'll do it right, no matter what."

Neji smiled slightly as he looked into her tantalizing hazel eyes that had captured him years ago. "I'll hold you to that promise then."

Carefully, he then leaned down and pressed his lips against his wife's. It felt more meaningful than ever after such a long time of being unable to really touch her, and his left arm snaked around her waist naturally. Yet the right one was gently pressed on her stomach, soon joined by Tenten's.

As soon as the short kiss had ended, Tenten leaned against Neji's chest, feeling the pressure of his hand upon her stomach. "Our future."

"Yes," he nodded, then kissed her again before leaning back and switching the lamp off.


	5. Prompt 4

A/N: That's another long one… Useless long one too, I find. I didn't like it. I had an amazing idea in my head, and yet this came up instead. Hm. Well, I guess it's not that bad, but still. Plus it's longer. So smile and review.

* * *

**Prompt four: If you wait too long for the perfect moment, the perfect moment will pass you by.**

It was much later than seven am, and Hyuuga Neji was fuming mad. Angrily, he paced around the training ground, staring at the dirt, his Byakuugan activated. For the hundredth time that morning, he scanned the forest rapidly, but still no sign of his wayward teammate.

Lee finally crumbled, after attaining his 6250th one-finger pushup. Panting slightly, he peered up at Neji, who hadn't stopped moving ever since seven 'o clock and one second that morning. Slowly, he managed to stand, and kept looking at Neji stressfully reactivating his Byakuugan.

"Neji-kun?" he put in quietly. "Maybe she just won't come!"

"Hn," the prodigy retorted negatively, closing his bloodline limit. He grunted and only kept pacing at a faster pace.

Lee, after an awkward and hesitant silence, finally offered, "Maybe she's training with Shikamaru-san?" Then, rapidly since his mind was already made up, said, "They had quite a good time together when they went to Suna for their mission last month! Plus we're not Genin or Chuunin anymore, there's no reason for us to meet every single morning!"

Once again, Lee's efforts were rewarded with a grunt.

"Won't you at least train with me, Neji-kun?" Lee pushed, getting slightly distressed. Neji had grown to be his best friend and he hated to see him so frustrated. So… unyouthful of him!

"Hn," Neji replied, keeping his pace.

After years and years of studying Neji's monosyllabic answers, Lee could now deduce which sound meant what. That one was actually the, "No, because I'm worried about the girl I love being with another guy" grunt.

Sighing, Lee slumped against a tree and let himself slide down, looking at his friend once again scanning the area around him. Finally, the Green Beast shouted out, "Why don't you just tell her you love her?! Wouldn't it be so much easier?!"

Now that stopped Neji in his tracks as he stared incredulously at Lee. The black-haired shinobi gave the Hyuuga a blinding Nice Guy Pose before continuing, "It's obvious that you have feelings for the gorgeous flower of our team, Neji-kun! After all, only a stalking maniac would react the way you do at the moment. So either you're in love with Tenten, or the Byakuugan has messed with your brain!" He once again gave a Nice Guy Pose.

Neji twitched slightly, only a barely noticeable flick of the eye. But Lee, of course, did notice and shouted, "You do love her!"

"Hn," Neji replied in a non-committal voice.

"Why haven't you told her yet?" Lee had now gotten to his feet and was literally hopping in place, the smile never leaving his face. "I'm certain that Tenten would adore hearing you confess your undying affection for her and to—"

"Lee," Neji finally spoke, his first words since arriving him a few hours ago. "She doesn't love me."

"Even if she didn't, what have you got to lose?" Lee whined. "Come on, Neji, what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for it to be too late?"

After a few seconds' thought, Neji finally said, "I'm waiting for the perfect moment."

Then Lee began to laugh. Laugh, laugh, and laugh some more. He laughed until Neji had begun to pace again, and only then did he calm down enough to shout, "You're kidding me, right? You've been training with her for exactly…" Lee mentally counted the years. "Six years. Six, Neji-kun! That's well over two thousand days! You've been alone with her for more than half of those days! Don't tell me you've never had a moment to tell her how you felt!" Then Lee tilted his head, realizing what had just come out of his mouth. "Wow, Neji-kun, that was wise. I should relay this conversation to Gai-Sensei, he'd be proud."

"No," Neji retorted, switching from Byakuugan to his usual intimidating air. "Lee, if you tell this to anyone…"

"I know," he sighed. "You'll Kaiten me into oblivion. Again. I know."

The two boys remained in silence before Lee groaned. "Come on, Neji-kun, promise me you'll tell her before it's too late!"

Neji rolled his eyes, already sick of the conversation, and of Lee's presence for that matter. "Hn."

"Good!" Lee grinned, almost giggling with glee. "Because I'm certain she likes you too!"

Neji now once again stopped to look at Lee, who brightened. "So if you're waiting for the perfect moment, well stop waiting. Because no matter how or when you tell her you love her, in Tenten's perspective, it'll be a perfect moment. Stop letting them go by, because destiny might not give you much more."

The prodigy glared hard at Lee, wondering exactly who was this guy. Lee usually said nothing so wise, and yet now he had just given Neji a talk that he'd surely remember for years. Actually, hanging out with Sabaku no Gaara might've plugged some wisdom into Lee. Maybe it would undo some of Gai's teachings.

Finally, Neji sighed and spoke up. "Would you like to train?"

Lee was about to answer when a girl's voice rang out, "I do!"

Tenten then dropped from a tree, her face red and panting. "I'm so sorry I was late!" she stammered, fanning herself with a scroll helplessly. "I had to go run by the shops with Shikamaru and I completely forgot about training."

Neji then shot Lee the dirtiest of death glares he could manage, almost accusing him for lying. Lee actually took a step towards Tenten, feeling Neji's eyes boring on his back. Still, he was sure there was an explication… He had to find out…

"Why, oh youthful flower," the Green Beast started enthusiastically, "were you out with Shikamaru-san so early this morning?"

Tenten only giggled as she pressed a finger to her lips. "It's a secret."

After an awkward pause, Lee suddenly shouted, "Well, why don't we have a little breakfast before training?"

"Sure!" Tenten agreed while Neji sulked behind. "I'm starving!"

--NejiTenLovelyFastForward--

As soon as they were finished breakfast, they began walking back towards the training ground, walking directly in the shopping district. The trio had mostly remained quiet, even Lee, through the meal, only exchanging the briefest talk. It helped clear the uneasiness in the air as they went through the marketplace, until a very unfortunate event occurred.

A man ran out of a wedding shop, dresses in hand, screaming Tenten's name. Worst of all, he was trailed by a red-faced Shikamaru.

"Ma'am! Ma'am!" the man shouted as he skidded to a halt in front of everyone. "What do you think of these three models?" He displayed the dresses to Tenten. "Shikamaru narrowed it down to ten but needs help with cutting on those!"

Tenten only giggled and playfully smacked Shikamaru's arm. "Why aren't you letting the bride decide, Shika-kun?" She coyly looked at him, then at the dresses. "Should I try them on?"

Shikamaru mumbled some kind of affirmative answer, so Tenten grabbed the gowns from the man and turned to her teammates. "Sorry guys, I gotta—"

She stopped, her face falling slightly. Lee was turned around, looking blankly at an empty street. Neji was gone.

--NejiTenLovelyFastForwardTwo--

Back at the Hyuuga compound, Neji was currently busy murdering anything in his proximity of the clan's training ground. He had already beaten down many things that were dubbed impossible to break, and was working steadily on another one, which was on the very edge of joining his neighbors.

Slowly, Hinata approached his cousin, yet kept her distances, almost afraid that Neji would attack her next if she went too close. Quietly, she called out, "Neji-niisan?"

No answer.

Hinata winced slightly. She'd have to get closer in order to talk to her cousin. Slowly, she inched forward, then gave a squeak of terror as the training dummy shattered in a thousand pieces under the pressure, scattering in all directions possible. Neji, unfazed, only moved to a new one and began attacking it.

Finally she reached his side and he acknowledged her with a slight look in her direction. "Neji-niisan…" she hesitantly murmured. "Are you alright?"

Neji didn't even answer her as he continued to furiously dive at the thick wood in front of him. Hinata finally gathered her courage and, her own palms blazing with chakra, grabbed his arms to stop him. Of course, it was only because he had been over-exerting himself in the last few hours that she managed to stop him.

"Neji-niisan, please," she whispered, clutching his hands in hers. "Tell me what's wrong."

Leveling his eyes to meet his cousin's, he finally snapped, "Tenten's getting married to Shikamaru."

After a blank look on Hinata's side, the girl finally burst in soft laughter as she released his hands. It was the second time that someone was laughing at Neji that day, and he didn't quite like it. Angrily, he began to strike the wood again.

"Neji!" Hinata exclaimed, something unusual for the girl. "Tenten's not getting married! Shikamaru is, but not Tenten!"

Slowly, Neji stopped hitting the plank to look at her, unbelieving. "She has been trying on dresses, Hinata-sama."

"For Temari!" Hinata giggled, her eyes sparkling. "Temari's always wanted to buy her dress in Konoha, but only disposes of two days to do so. She's coming over this weekend. Since Tenten's pretty much the only one closer to Temari's size in our group of girls, she has agreed to try on some dresses for Shikamaru if he wanted to see the styles."

After a pause, said, "She, along with I, are going to be bridesmaids. Ino and Sakura too, didn't you listen every time we talking about it? Plus we were asked to find friends of Shikamaru's to be groomsmen! I'm going with Kiba-kun, Sakura's going with Naruto-kun, Ino with Chouji-kun…" Then she smiled again. "And you should be going with Tenten! She's just too shy to ask you."

Hinata had barely finished talking that Neji was already out of the training ground.

--NejiTenLovelyFastForwardThree--

Not five minutes later, he was entering the bridal shop, storming past the counter where a receptionist attempted to stop him. He passed through the few families there, either waiting for the bride-to-be to come out or commenting on her dress.

Then Neji saw her.

She was decked in a long, silky white gown with her hair pulled down. It had only small straps crossing in the back, but the details in the dress only made the tan of her skin stand out. Shikamaru was looking away uninterestedly, but Tenten was staring at herself in the mirror as she talked.

As he approached, Neji could hear the end of what she was saying. "—if Temari doesn't like it, I'll buy it for my own wedding and keep it locked up in my attic! It's the most beautiful dress in the entire store, Shikamaru! I'm sure that Temari will like it."

"Nah," the lazy genius drawled with a sigh. "It's not her style. Let's try another one to get this over with."

"But…" Tenten looked hesitantly in the mirror, obviously not wanting to take it off. "Don't you think it's pretty at least?"

Neji slowly approached her from behind and said gently, "I do."

She then caught his reflection in the mirror and gasped slightly, turning around. Neji looked horrible- almost as though he had been training recklessly for the last few hours. Yet there was something burning in his eyes, something unknown to her.

"Tenten," he said quietly, reaching over to take her hand. "I'll pay for this dress, only if you promise me to wear it at our wedding."

The kunoichi looked at him, her mouth slightly agape. "N-Neji…" Her voice caught when he stepped up onto the pedestal and swept her up in a kiss. One that she gladly returned.

As soon as they split up, Neji looked down at her intently. "I love you, Tenten. I'm sorry for waiting this long to tell you."

Now the girl's eyes were glistening with tears. "I…" she swallowed. "Me too, Neji. And if it was a proposal earlier, then I accept. I will marry you."

Shikamaru watched through the entire scene with an eyebrow raised. "Come on, Neji, shouldn't you at least have waited for the perfect moment?"

The prodigy kept his eyes riveted in Tenten's as he said, "This _was_ the perfect moment, Shikamaru. The last one that destiny would give me. I would've been damned to miss it this time."

"I'm glad you didn't," Tenten replied lovingly, as she reached down to seal her earlier promise with another kiss.


	6. Prompt 5

**A/N:** … Ugh, the dreaded prompt. I didn't even understand that one the first few times I read it. Had to get E to somewhat explain it to me, then had to brainwash again with a couple of friends. XD Though this started off as having somewhat something to do with the prompt, it ends up totally random.  
Take care!

* * *

**Prompt five: Not to know is bad, not to wish to know is worse.**

Many women had the stalking gene in them. Hyuuga Neji knew this more than most men- especially since he was often the prey of said gene. More than once in his life did he slip in bed, only to find a girl staring at him through the window; or when he'd attempt to take a shower, another one would stumble from the closet. But over the years, he had grown used to it, which is why he often used his Byakuugan before entering his room now.

Usually, it would annoy him to find someone sneaking in –or out– of the gardens. But today, as he leaned against the wall while seated on his bed, he found a certain sneaky girl endearing.

Almost every night she'd try to sneak in, yet was almost always caught by the every-so-prudent sentinels. As soon as their lamp's glow would appear close, she'd give up her chase and would hurry back home. Neji's eyesight, of course, would follow her as far as his Byakuugan could manage to, before he'd lean down to sleep.

Ever since he had seen her slip in the compound for the first time, the true feelings of the young kunoichi had been unearthed. He had doubted of her sentiments for him, yet upon seeing her ceaseless determination to reach him at least once had set them in rock. She loved him.

The prodigy also knew that it was a running mystery amongst women about exactly what he did during his free time. Many girls would attempt to see if he had a hobby hidden to the world, or if he simply trained all the time, or worst of all, if he had a secret girlfriend.

The fact that the kunoichi kept trying so tirelessly to find out, especially after a full day of training, made the shinobi realize that she wished to know as well.

Neji smiled in the darkness as the girl dashed away from upcoming footsteps, while another figure entered his Byakuugan range. The man looked around for a few seconds before heading back to his assigned position, and the girl breathed a sigh of relief and began to move on again.

Once, when they had trained together, she had asked him what he'd do once he got back home. Like he had answered every other girl, he simply managed an evasive grunt. That had instantly driven the curiosity nail in the kunoichi, who had obviously made it her personal mission to find out what he really did.

The smile never lost his face, as he finally wondered if she'd be able to make it to his room that night. He definitely was glad that she returned the feelings he had for her, but decided to somehow make her work for it. Since she refused to openly admit her love to him, she'd have to _prove_ her affection instead.

The girl then slithered past another guard and managed to enter the compound instead of simply the maze of training grounds outside. He saw her frantically jump in a closet as two of the Main Branch walked by, discussing something quietly. Once the way was clear, she hurriedly began jogging towards Neji's quarters.

Minutes later, she was finally at his door. Though Neji didn't budge, he noticed another upcoming figure approaching. Tenten would soon get the scare of her life. He slowly stood up and approached the door to listen in the conversation.

"Tenten?"

He saw the girl whirl around with a gasp, her hand rushing to her kunai hostler. It relaxed slightly when she saw who her interlocutor was. "Shh, Hinata!!"

Neji almost chuckled. Tenten was probably the lone person in the entire world who would manage to get in the kind of situation where she'd get to tell Hyuuga Hinata to be quiet.

"What are you doing here?" the raven haired girl whispered uneasily, shooting a look at Neji's door.

Tenten also followed her eyes, obviously flustered. "Well… uh… I… was just…" She shot the floor a helpless look, as thought it could give her an answer as to what she was doing outside of Neji's bedroom at midnight.

Hinata only broke into a smile and shook her head. "I never saw you," she murmured coyly, before hurrying away in the darkened corridor.

As Neji watched her exit, he returned to his bed, slowly sitting down on the edge and staring at the door. He noticed that Tenten was taking a deep breath, before finally twisting the doorknob. He cancelled his bloodline limit and blinked at the sudden darkness, though still not bad with the help of the moonlight.

The stealthy kunoichi slipped in quickly and shut the door behind herself, breathing a sigh of relief. Then she turned to peer at the bed and gasped when she saw her training partner's eyes riveted on her. Stricken, she whispered hurriedly, "What are you doing up at this hour?"

Neji only blinked. "What are you doing in my room at this hour?"

Flushing, Tenten looked away, mumbling something incomprehensible. Only to add to her misery, Neji crossed his arms and added, "Well, it's about time you managed. It's been months that you've been trying to get in, right?"

Now even though they were plunged in semi-darkness, he could see the boiling shade of the skin of her cheeks. He almost chuckled, yet that might've scared her enough to run away.

"I just wanted to know!" she finally gushed, stomping her foot lightly. "You're always so freaking mysterious all the time, it was killing me to not know what you did!"

"Jealous?" he questioned silently, also standing up.

After an obvious hesitation, she replied, "Maybe a little. But so many girls had failed; I had to know if I could do it too! It was just a personal challenge, I swear! Nothing more!"

Neji slowly crossed the remaining distance between them, his face impassive. Suddenly worried, the kunoichi backed away until her back had hit the wall and she couldn't move further. He stopped only inches from her, looking down in her shining honey-tinted eyes. Carefully, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "As I said before, it's about time you made it. I was starting to wonder if you'd need my help. After all, I do have the Byakuugan to study your progress every day."

Tenten stared at him, now stunned. "You were spying on me?"

Neji smiled, something he barely ever did in the presence of others. "Coming from the girl who's been trying to enter my room for months, I find this rather hypocritical."

"Touché," she sighed, uneasily realizing how close they were. "N-Neji, what are you doing?"

The intense expression never lost his face as he locked his eyes in hers. "I'm assuming this is what you came for. It would be a shame to let you go without it." As he spoke, he gently lowered his face, barely skimming his lips against hers. It was all the invitation Tenten needed to loop her arms around his shoulders and to reach up on her tiptoes for the continuation of what he had just started.

His lips were warm, inviting, and Tenten shuddered involuntarily as they touched her chapped ones. She felt her own legs weakening, and she tightened her arms around his neck to keep herself from falling. Sensing her hanging upon him, he only wrapped his own arms around her waist, supporting her.

Seconds later, Tenten pulled away, slightly dazed. She blinked to clear the sudden stars that she was seeing, almost resembling to the time that she blacked out during practice. Carefully, she leaned against the man she loved, shutting her eyes.

Neji, meanwhile, gently picked her up from the ground and carried her to his bed. He lovingly lied her down on the mattress, before tugging the covers over her limp body. Then, he slowly leaned down by her side, over the sheets, and brushed a lock of her hair away. She had fallen asleep the moment that her head had struck the pillow. He knew that if anyone was to enter his room now, he'd definitely have quite a lot to explain.

But for Tenten's sake, he was willing to risk it.


	7. Prompt 6

A/N: … Well, that didn't happen like it was supposed to. O.o This was supposed to be a little ironic story, but then again… XD Everyone will probably have this be a parody/humor, so I wanted to try a bit of good ol' drama again. I sort of murdered the prompt… Again… Forever…

Plus I had huuuge problems with the ending. It falls so flat compared to the rest of the fic, so prepare yourselves. Lol!

Take care!

**Prompt six: Woman is a miracle of divine contradiction**.

"N-Neji… I don't feel so good anymore…"

The prodigy sighed, knowing that it had to come to this eventually. The kunoichi had frozen in her steps in the middle of a small country road, her eyes fixed intently on the side street a hundred of meters away. The nerves had almost kept her back home in Konoha and if it hadn't been for Neji's gentle probing, she never would've put her plan to action.

"Tenten," he cautiously said, knowing that any wrong choice of words would send the fragile eighteen-year-old over the precipice of tears. "You'll do just fine. I'm not even worried."

The bun-haired kunoichi fidgeted uneasily on the spot as her eyes trained themselves on the street. For the thousandth time that day, she peered down at the instructions on the crumpled paper in her hand, confirming her worries: this was the street she had been looking for. She only had to travel for a few minutes and she'd find exactly what she'd been searching for.

"That's easy for you to say, Neji!" she retorted nervously, feeling the knot constricting in her throat.

Attentively, the man reached over her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. Still obviously frightful of what was about to come, she hurriedly buried herself in his embrace and remained unmoving.

"I shouldn't have asked you to come…" she murmured, her voice muffled through his shirt. "Actually, I shouldn't even have told you about it. I shouldn't have _thought_ about it."

Blinking confusedly, Neji looked down at her stressed-looking features. "But when you did propose it to me, you were so happy. What changed?"

"Let's just go home. Please, Neji…" she whimpered, now obviously on the verge of tears.

The shinobi pulled away, a small frown settling on his face as he leaned down to look at her straight in the eye. She reluctantly gazed into his pearly orbs as he spoke. "What's wrong with you, Tenten? Where's my strong-willed kunoichi? You're tougher than this! A future Hyuuga bride can't act like this!"

The weapon mistress stared intently at her fiancée, before nodding and drawing in a shaky breath. "Alright, let's move on."

Taking her hand in his strong grip, Neji slowly tugged her along as they started making their way through the gravel along the side of the road. Neither said a word, both engrossed in their respective thoughts.

"Nine hundred forty-five. This is it," Neji announced gently as they stopped in front of a lone driveway. There was nothing else but huge fields, this village obviously being of farming origins. The house was small and picturesque, with a small fence and a snoozing dog on the side of the off-white porch. The small cottage-like home was painted a light blue with a dark roof, with a few dark windows surrounding the front door.

Then Tenten suddenly blocked and turned on her heels. Without another word, she darted away from the building, shaking her head rapidly. Undaunted, Neji raced back after her and stopped her by wrapping his arms around her stomach, catching her in a hug.

"Don't worry," he murmured soothingly. "It will go fine."

Tenten only firmly shook her head. "I'm not going there, Neji. Not on my life. We're going back home, that's final. I refuse to go farther."

Neji sighed, the sound barely audible. "I won't leave you," he promised sternly.

Once again emboldened, Tenten forced herself to turn again. With Neji's arm wrapped around her shoulders, she marched directly to the door of the quaint little house and raised her hand to knock.

Sensing that this part may be the hardest, Neji carefully placed his own hand over hers and brought their knuckles to knock on the wood. As the sound filled the home, he could feel Tenten's pulse beating frantically under her skin and for a fleeting second, wondered if she was going to faint. Her face had drained of color and she was breathing with difficulty, staring anxiously at the door.

Finally, rapid footsteps echoed inside and the door was suddenly shoved open from the inside. A brown-haired woman in her early thirties stood there, an annoyed look displayed in her tired grey eyes. She was balancing a weeping baby on a hip, and another dirt-streaked young girl peered from behind her mother's legs.

"Can I help you?" she barked in exasperation, glaring down at the crying baby. Suddenly, she whirled around and dropped him in the girl's arms, who staggered slightly with surprise. Angrily, she hissed to the girl, "Go put him in bed if he won't stop yelling!"

The woman then turned back to Tenten, staring the girl right in the eye, before snapping, "Now, can I help you? I have other things to do than talk with two useless travelers!"

The weapon mistress was looking at the woman with her lips slightly agape, her eyes tearing slightly. Noticing that she was at an obvious loss of words, Neji tightened his grip on her hand and took a small step forward. "We won't keep you for long, we promise."

Obviously, the woman hadn't really noticed Neji before. Suddenly, she angled her body to his, looking at him up and down. Raising an eyebrow, she suddenly said, "You're kind of cute."

Neji ignored the compliment and bowed lightly. "My name is Hyuuga Neji, from the branch house of the Hyuuga clan of Konoha," he introduced himself before straightening. He then trained his eyes upon Tenten and once again took her hand. "This is my fiancée."

"Uh-huh," the woman drawled, shooting Tenten an uninterested look.

Her eyes remained riveted on Neji, but the man stared back at the girl he loved and prompted encouragingly. "Will you introduce yourself?"

After a few silent seconds, the woman groaned and snapped, "Do you two have a point!? Because I don't want anything to do with –"

"Yes," Tenten said coldly, "We do have some business with you. My name is Tenten."

The woman blankly looked at her, then at Neji. "And…?"

"Her name is Tenten," Neji repeated for emphasis. "Only Tenten. She never knew her last name."

After a few seconds, it seemed to sink into the woman who exactly this was. Recognition filled her eyes and she took a step back, her mouth slightly hanging open**.** Then, she suddenly hardened and raged, "Get out of here! Get away from my home! Why are you bothering me after all these years?"

Neji noticed, out of his peripheral vision, that the kunoichi had lowered her head, obviously battling tears. Sensing she wouldn't be saying much for quite a long time, he decided to speak for her. "Since we are getting married in less than six months, we both figured you might like to attend. It would both be Tenten's and mine's honor to have the bride's mother present."

"Don't call me that!" the brunette snapped, her face twisted in an ugly expression. "I wanted nothing to do with her when she was born and it never changed with time! If I would've wanted her to be in my life, then I wouldn't have tossed her away like I did. I hated her the second I learnt she existed and she was ruining my life! Why the hell would I want anything to do with a freak like her?!"

_'I'm going to slug her…'_ was the only thought running through the prodigy's head as he suddenly dropped every single atom of decorum he had in himself to glare harshly at Tenten's mother. He was about to speak, when Tenten's collected voice made itself heard.

"Then we'll never bother you again."

Neji turned to look at her and was slightly amazed to see the sheer determination in her eyes. She had her teeth gritted and, instead of looking distraught like he had expected her to, only looked slightly miffed. It was as thought she hadn't really cared whether or not her real mother came to her wedding.

Suddenly, the little girl peered around the doorframe again. Reluctantly, she murmured, "Mommy? Is she my sister?"

"Get back inside!" Tenten's mother barked, before turning back to the couple. "And you pair of scum, get out of my sight! You're both more revolting than the dirtiest of pigs!"

"I will not have anyone talk to her this way!" Neji suddenly growled and wrenched his hand from his fiancée's grasp. He took a menacing step towards the older woman, but Tenten coolly grabbed his arm with a small smile. "Let's go, Neji. I don't want to stay here any longer."

Reluctantly, the prodigy agreed to let the woman's death sentence slide. After shooting her one last menacing glare, which only made her snicker, he turned and followed the kunoichi out of the driveway.

They remained in complete silence until they were fully out of earshot from the village and by then, the night had begun to creep up.

Once they arrived at a small cave where it would be safe to sleep, the prodigy started a fire while the weapon mistress prepared their sleeping bags and some food. They both remained quiet, only exchanging the smallest of words for the strictest information.

Realizing that the silence had long ago dropped from comfortable to tense, Neji stepped towards Tenten so he could face her. Gently sliding both his hands in hers, he murmured, "I'm sorry for making you go there, Tenten. You had a feeling it wouldn't go well and it didn't. I shouldn't have pushed you."

But Tenten broke into a wide smile and laughed softly in the process. "Don't worry about it Neji. I'm actually kind of glad I went."

Dumbstruck, the prodigy blinked as he attempted to scramble together how exactly she could be happy. Sensing his discomfort at her comment, she clarified gently, "I never really knew if my mother had given me away out of hatred or love. I used to think she had done it because she simply wanted me to have a better life than what she could offer me." She paused slightly, looking up at the darkening sky. "Now I see that she gave me away because she simply didn't want me around."

"Tenten…" Neji painfully whispered, hating the tone of his fiancée's voice.

"Don't," she said, her voice dropping down to a simple whisper. "It's alright Neji, please don't pity me. And anyways…" She once again brought her eyes down to lock them in Neji's. "I'm glad she did it. Seeing that girl, my sister, made me realize how lucky I've been." She giggled softly. "You do know that if she hadn't placed me in that orphanage, I might never have gotten to Konoha under the Hokage's wing? I might have never known you, Neji."

"Well if you see it through that angle…" he hesitantly replied, "then I guess it's a good thing."

She grinned again, tugging one of her hands free to brush a strand of his hair away from his pale face. "Of course I see it this way, Neji. I'm kind of glad she's not coming."

Neji shot a glance in the distance, seeing the faint lights of the village. "So am I."

They remained in another fit of silence; both emerged in their own thoughts. Suddenly, though, Tenten burst into a wide smile and suddenly said, "Now, let's stop thinking so deeply! Remember how I said I wanted white flowers for the wedding? Well, now I think I changed my mind and I want them to be somewhat of a purple tint, and I want…"


	8. Prompt 7

**A/N**: …. Wow. Cliché, cliché, cliché…  
What started off as a super fic turned out to be the most cliché one I wrote (thanks to Iky for pointing it out!)… I attempted to keep it as 'hang-over-the-edge-of-your-seat' as possible, so attempt to look over its wrongs lol!

**WARNING-** This fic contains angst and is rated for suicidal thoughts.

**Prompt seven**: **The difference between friendship and love is how much you can hurt each other.**

'_You aren't strong enough…'_

Tenten ran as fast as she could through the thick woods, half-blinded by the darkness. She could only catch brief glances of the branches as they whizzed past her, creating thin, bloody lines on her skin. Sometimes, the cry of an owl could be distinguished in the distance, or the haunting howl of a wolf.

_'You will never make it past Genin…'_

Those words… they echoed through her head without mercy, never giving her one second to sort them out, to tell herself they weren't true. To tell herself that the speaker didn't mean them at all, that he had only screamed them out of stress. To reassure herself that it wasn't her fault after all.

_'You're not good enough…'_

Her eyes were watery against the struggle of the race, her breathing labored with the torturous pain that was threatening to overtake her. She could barely see where she was going and, at full speed, crashed into an obstacle and was forcefully projected to the ground. Every time this would happen, she'd struggle back to her feet and would keep on dashing through the forest at the speed only a member of Team Gai could manage.

_'You are wasting my time…'_

A sob escaped her parted lips as she attempted to draw in a steady breath. A cramp was tugging at her side, rendering the race even more miserable than it had been before. Her legs were throbbing and were complaining against the unnatural strain she was pushing them through. She was almost in a second-state of consciousness, where only negative thoughts swarmed in her mind.

_'Throwing weapons? That's just basic shinobi training. Is that all you can do? ...' _

Her physique wasn't the only thing crumbling under fatigue. Her mind wasn't the only one captured in turmoil. Her heart, as protected as it had been her entire life, had given up on her.

'_I'll never love a weakling like you…' _

Maybe if she had been a better, prettier, stronger kunoichi, he might've changed his mind. Her whole body was trembling with the thought as she pushed herself to go faster, punishing herself for not being good enough for such a man like him.

And then one day, he simply stopped looking at her. Broken, Tenten fell to the ground, her entire being trembling with tears. A long, soul-piercing scream of frustration escaped her lips as she attempted to get up, only to have her body reject the attempt. Daunted, she began to crawl through the dirt, the twigs, the broken branches. Hours later, though, she fell limply close to the edge of a steep precipice, where the bottom laid thousands of meters away.

Struggling after a few seconds, she managed to push herself up to a sitting position. Everything was still and silent, except for her gasps of exhaustion. Slowly, she reached over to a rock the size of her fist. Her fingers curled around it before she hauled it over the edge of the cliff.

Seconds ticked by silently. She never heard the rock hit the ground.

Her tears then stopped as she numbly brushed her soiled hand against her glistening cheekbones. Slowly, she approached the edge and leaned her body against the cold ground. Her head passed over and she looked towards the dooming darkness.

The inviting darkness.

Her members began quaking again as her heart sank at her own contemplation. One little push and this pain would end. One foot closer and she could let herself slide down into an eternally carefree world.

Carefully, she rolled onto her back and tugged herself a few inches back on the ground so she could rest her head on the grass. Had he only been a friend, the hurtful words would've either rolled off her back, or she would've given him a piece of her mind.

But the difference between love and friendship is how much you can hurt one another.

Hyuuga Neji had long ago crossed the line of how much she could take. Back in the past, when he had still considered her his training partner, the insults had been hard to take. But at least back then, he had talked to her. His pearly eyes had settled in hers importantly and he had spoken. Given her advice, treats, commands. She couldn't have helped falling in love with such a wonderful man.

Though his thirst for revenge against the Main Branch had turned him into a shell of what he had the potential to be.

Once again, she rolled on her side, this time being a little less careful. She slid a few inches more over the precipice's edge and stared down once again. Swallowing painfully, she then stood up and took a step forward. Her toes were now dangerously half over, which made small rocks crumble into the oblivion.

Suddenly, though, a clear voice cut through the silence of the night. The voice of the only person she desperately didn't want to hear. "It's about time."

Tenten didn't even turn around. She didn't want to see his pale face, his light lavender eyes, his soft chestnut hair. His words, the firsts he had spoken to her in months, drove the knife only deeper in her chest. Forcing herself to speak, she managed to croak out, "So you really want me to do this?"

She heard him coming closer, but she inched forward again. Now only her shinobi-refined balance kept her from tumbling over the edge.

"It would be a hassle to get to the village and tell everyone. I might even be accused of your murder," he replied. Soon, he stopped about a foot behind her, placing his hands in his pocket.

Shuddering slightly at his proximity, Tenten whispered back, "So go back. It's not like I'll be around to blame it on you." Then, feeling cheated out of an answer earlier, continued, "What did you mean by 'It's about time'?"

Neji allowed a few seconds to go by, before he said, "It's about time you do something about me." She stiffened in front of him. "I've been pushing your limits for months. You would take it in, no matter what I would throw at you. Why?"

The kunoichi shivered slightly as the temperature seemed to have dropped. The act made her precious balance tremble, but she kept her footing. She knew that if Neji was to turn around now, turn his back on her, she'd jump without a doubt. So it was now or never to voice her feelings. "Because I love you."

"I know," he nodded behind her, his voice hard.

Her eyes filled painfully. So he had known after all. "Then why did you make me suffer like this? Do you enjoy it?"

He was silent for a few decisive seconds, then he sighed and said, "Because I never thought you'd break under them. I thought your feelings for me were more than just a few surface words."

He had stepped slightly closer to her, making her want to also move forward. Her pain was slowly turning into hatred. She didn't understand. Part of her didn't want to either. "Why test me so?"

"Because you were changing me," he retorted gently. "I didn't want to change. But now I do Tenten. I need to change. If you jump tonight, I'll never get to do so because I need your help. I don't know where to start, but I have to stop being the way I am. I can't keep you away from me anymore."

Implications settled into her and she began to shiver with anticipation. It finally settled in as to what exactly she was doing and where she was. Drawing in a precious breath, she slowly reached back to grasp his hand. He clung to it tightly, reassuringly, before letting it go. As he did so, he whispered hauntingly, "I'm sorry."

She now had to choose. Him or death.

Swallowing, she shook her head lightly. She had to make the decision, he wouldn't be helping her. Suddenly panicking at the mere idea of falling down, alone and unwanted, she hurriedly turned around to scramble away from the ledge. But gravity finally won her over and the small patch of ground beneath her feet gave way.

A small cry escaped her lips as the sensation of being in a free fall overtook her, but it was soon stifled as a hand was wrapped around her waist. She faintly opened her eyes to see Neji's chakra blazing, holding his feet against the edge of the crevice. And him, holding her.

He pulled her back onto safe land carefully with only a few strokes of his feet. She was heavy in his arm, her body quaking unnaturally.

Shuddering, she clung to Neji with desperation, shock still ebbing through her. He untied the outer robe that he, as a member of the Hyuuga clan, should be wearing. It was the first time ever he had slipped into the traditional outfit, something that he usually scornfully denied. Once he had shrugged it off, he placed it lovingly around the girl's shoulders before pulling her against him.

"T-Thank you," she managed, her fingers still clutching his shirt. She could feel the strands of his hair brushing against her cheek, tickling her.

After a few seconds, he finally replied, "Had I not caught you, I would've plunged to the ground as well. It is not you who need to thank me, but I."

The kunoichi shut her eyes tiredly, her energy drained. She nodded weakly once he suggested to go back home. She barely felt the walk back, the images blurry in her mind. What she did feel, though, was when he pressed his hot lips against hers that night and made sure she was comfortably settled in bed. The last things she could remember before falling asleep, were the words: "I love you."


	9. Prompt 8

**A/N**: ROFL! Four thousand words! Haha, I am SO sorry people! I got a little bit carried away with this fic! XD Plus it only has hints of NejiTen! XD XD XD I'm soooo sorry! But it's one of the best fics I have ever written in my entire life I think. I love it.

/Tearjerker.

(1) About the enumeration: These are all actual stories. Check out E's profile !  
Take care!

**Prompt eight: For everything gained; something is lost.**

A slash of lightning cut through the sky in the distance, followed by the rumbling of thunder. The air was heavy with humidity, but the dozens of shinobi present at the ceremony refused to complain. Many slightly hoped for the rain to drench their black clothing, to refresh them, to cleanse them from the feeling that hung through the air. But no one was moving, their eyes straight in front of them at the casket and the picture frame.

The ceremony would begin only in an hour, but people had begun to gather hours ago to pay their respects to the fallen shinobi.

Tenten slowly filed in, her eyes to the floor. She had let her hair loose that day, mostly so her bangs would shield her eyes. Also so that she could secretly wipe the tears from her face when swiping back her hair.

No shinobi should cry during the service of another member of their village. Yet the kunoichi knew deep down that she'd be shedding some no matter how strong-willed she forced herself to be. After all, out of those present, she had gotten the chance to know the man personally.

She walked through the ranks of people, noticing that there were three empty chairs up front. She knew deep down that one was for her and went to sit down, ignoring the stares from the people behind her. A gust of wind whizzed past, making her shiver as she brought her arms around herself, attempting to stay warm. Her gaze remained on the floor, refusing to look at the picture. She didn't want to see the smiling face up there, because she knew that she never would look upon it once again in her life.

Not five minutes later, someone stopped in front of her. She brought her watery eyes up to meet Kakashi's solemn ones. In his hands were three white roses. Wordlessly, he handed them to her and she accepted them with a grateful nod. With deliberate slowness, she placed one rose on the chair to her left and another one to her right. Then she stood and advanced towards the casket.

The rose trembled through her fingers as she stopped in front of it. She ran a sluggish hand over the smooth wood, beautifully crafted by the best workers of Konoha. Her eyes then fell over the picture and the limp hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a torn cry. She tore her eyes away from the photo, unable to stand the emotions it brought to her. Her body racked with anguish and she remained stuck in place until a soothing hand was pressed against the small of her back.

"N-Neji…" she choked out as the man stopped besides her. "H-how could th-this hap-happen to him?"

His hand moved towards hers to untie her fist, before mingling his fingers with hers**.** He shook his head and Tenten knew that he didn't even trust his own voice. This was as hard for him as it was for her.

It seemed vital that, since they had spent all their years training together, they should give the deceased their last gift to him at the same time. Together, they both raised their white rose and carefully placed them down on the top of the casket, in the middle of a dark green crown.

After they took a step back, Neji carefully brought her back to their seats, taking the one to her right and further to the casket. He kept his left arm around her, his right hand grasping hers to pour out any ounce of support he could spare.

"Shouldn't you be with the Hyuuga clan?" she questioned softly, knowing that the clan often stuck together during times of tragedy.

Neji shook his head firmly. "You come first. I have earned my spot up front; I will not shy away from it in the back."

Suddenly the air became still. Tenten heard someone slightly clear their throat, a nervous sound that made her turn around with annoyance. But then her eyes stopped on the upcoming person and her heart froze with pain. She frantically clutched Neji's hand, who also turned around. He stiffened besides her and whispered something unintelligible.

The man came slowly towards the front, his head held up high. His eyes, usually so full of emotions, were now frighteningly blank. He was clad in a black uniform from head-to-toe, something unusual for the man who used to beg everyone to try the gorgeous green spandex with orange leg warmers.

But what surprised everyone in the room was how quiet he was.

He marched right up to the front, where he looked at the white flower besides Tenten. He picked it up in a machine-like motion and walked up to the casket, where he remained motionless for a few seconds. His arm was now outstretched carefully, a few inches from putting down the flower, when suddenly he broke down.

Tossing the flower to the floor, he fell to his knees and, in a heartbroken voice, shouted out, "Why Gai-Sensei!? Why him!? It's not fair!"

He then fell forward, his forehead against the ground as he wept openly. His fist pounded the floor once, his monstrous strength making the ground shake lightly, as he shouted with despair, "He was all that I got! Why did you take him away from me?! This can't be true, Gai-Sensei, wake up!"

Tenten's heart twisted with sorrow as she threw herself away from Neji's embrace. She ran to her teammate and crumbled to her knees, before attempting to wrap her arms around him. He shrugged her away easily, before turning his stricken facetowards her. "Why are you here?" he hissed venomously. "You never liked him! You were ashamed to have him as your Sensei! Then you dare show yourself at his funeral?" He then whirled to the crowd. "As all of you! Anytime Gai-Sensei would try talking to any of you, you'd look away or give excuses to not be around him! You're all hypocrites!"

Stung, Tenten inched slightly away, but Neji walked right by her to stand on the other side of Lee. Kneeling down, he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, looking at him with remorse flooding his eyes. Lee only held his gaze with challenge as he cried, before finally nodding. Relenting, he threw his arms around Neji and clung to him desperately, all while whimpering questions that no one could answer.

Seconds passed and finally, Lee turned to Tenten and crawled to her, also craving a hug. As Tenten was pulling him close to her in a vain attempt to soothe his pain, Neji also slid his arms around the pair, resulting in a long hug from the trio.

"Oh Lee," she breathed in anguish. "Please forgive us. But we loved Gai-Sensei too."

"I know you did," the boy tearfully stammered. "I'm the one who's sorry, my friends. I'm just…"

"We understand," Neji spoke up. He was the one who straightened first, soon followed by Tenten. Lee slowly stood up; going to retrieve the flower he had thrown down. It was still miraculously perfect when he placed it down with Tenten's and Neji's, before he went to sit down besides his friends. The kunoichi took both of the hands of her teammates on either side, which comfortably held onto it.

Tsunade, along with a few men of religious authority, stepped forward and began the ceremony. Long prayers were uttered for the man, along with oaths to his courage. But after a while, Tsunade stepped in front of the casket and spoke.

"Dearest shinobi, do I have to remind you of the great man that we are burying today?" She turned her eyes to the trio sitting up front. "I'm certain that if any of us asked his students, the last thing they'd want is to have Gai's ceremony be bland and common. We all know, without a shred of a doubt that Gai was far from being a bland and common man, so why should he deserve such a ceremony?"

A few people smiled at her comment, which made her continue. "Actually, if it isn't too much to ask, I would love to have his three students to give us all an insight on Gai's life that we never knew. Just a little story would be nice, if you wouldn't mind."

After stepping from the front, a few seconds of stillness occurred. Then, reluctantly, Tenten stood up and marched to the front. Her eyes were misty, but she spoke her tale clearly as though it was happening for the first time.

_-Tenten's Story-_

_The kunoichi groaned as she looked down at the beautiful dress she was wearing. She threw a pleading glance at her Sensei, who only grinned at her._

_"Tell me why, again, did you volunteer for this mission?" she snapped angrily, once again looking at the mirror. She winced slightly at the v-neck that showed much more cleavage than she was accustomed to. "Shouldn't Ino or Sakura try these kinds of mission? I'm hardly the social type, Gai-Sensei!"_

_"Yes, my youthful flower!" he grinned, giving her a thumbs-up. "You look so womanly, I'm certain every man in the room will swoon for you! Meanwhile, Lee and I will creep up to the King's quarters, retrieve the scroll, and wait for you outside."_

_Tenten stiffened slightly, though she was definitely glad that she wouldn't need to stay for more than a few hours. "And Neji?"_

_"Oh, he'll be scouting the ballroom in case something happens to you!" A small, mischievous glint appeared in Gai's eyes, but he whispered good luck wishes and departed before she could ask him anything more. What a strange man…_

_Shrugging, she headed towards the room. Her mission was simple, to flirt with the new King until midnight, where she could leave. Neji would meet her outside and would bring her to Lee and Gai._

_It had been an easy plan, until the moment where the King, drunk beyond any measure, pinned Tenten against the wall. Since she had introduced herself as royalty, Tenten knew that she had to endure whatever he'd do to her, since any use of the hidden weapons on her would send their plan toppling over the edge._

_Someone should've told that to Neji._

_As soon as the King had begun to hungrily kiss Tenten's neck while the girl stared up at the ceiling praying for strength, he had angrily stomped over to the pair. With a beastly growl, he had grabbed the King by the collar, shoved him besides Tenten, then had landed a few nice punches in his face. It only took the kunoichi a few seconds to realize what was happening, before hurriedly dragging Neji away from the castle._

_The two had staggered through the bushes surrounding the massive, before Tenten, slightly inebriated by the few glasses of wine she had chugged down, crumbled to the ground in a fit of giggles._

_"Were you jealous, Neji?" she taunted, reaching over to loop her arms around the prodigy's neck._

_"Hn," he replied, looking away furiously. But his eyes translated everything he felt once he wrapped his arms around her and drew her close._

_Meanwhile, in the distance, two giggling Green Beasts watched the scene with obvious amusement. The two gave each other Nice Guy Poses at having created the perfect "mission". There was no important scroll to retrieve, the entire point had been to have Tenten, clad in a suggestive dress, flirt willingly with another man and have Neji observe for a few hours._

_The result had been even better than they had expected._

_-End-_

Many people clapped at the end of Tenten's tale. Neji had sunk slightly lower in his chair, his cheeks tinted with embarrassment. Lee, meanwhile, was laughing heartily at the memory of Neji's face once he had discovered the plan made against him.

Ready to get even, Neji stormed up to the front, passing a smirking Tenten on his way there. Firmly, he planted his feet and began reciting one of the moments he was sure he wouldn't forget anytime soon.

"It was exactly on the day of Gai's last birthday…"

_-Neji's Story-_

_"Good morning my precious students!" Gai bellowed as soon as he arrived, giving them all a shiny Nice Guy Pose. "Today is a VERY important day! Can you all guess what it is?"_

_"It's your birthday!" Lee shouted eagerly, punching the air. "And this will be, without a doubt, the best birthday ever!"_

_Tenten giggled softly as she looked at the Hyuuga's passive face. They both knew exactly what was going to happen today. Like every other year, Gai's birthday gifts always included, in some form or another, craziness. Soon they would go over to the beach, where Lee and Gai would stand in shallow water and sob the evening away._

_"Gai-Sensei, we have a surprise for you!" Lee grinned. "Today, I have no gifts for you. Neither do my rival or our precious flower!"_

_Gai's face slightly fell, but only to take an incredulous look._

_"Actually," Lee smiled happily, "we will spend the entire day doing whatever your big, youthful heart desires, Gai-Sensei!"_

_"A-Anything?" Gai stammered with his mouth agape, looking expectantly at Neji and Tenten, as if to confirm._

_Unable to deny him the 'gift' that Lee had planned, Tenten smiled weakly and nodded. After a firm jerk in the ribs, Neji nodded as well._

_"Amazing!" Gai shouted, before putting a fatherly hand on Lee's shoulder. "Thank you Lee."_

_The younger Green Beast proudly smiled as Gai considered what to do first. Suddenly, a sadistic smile made its way onto his features. Shooting a look at the prodigy, he finally whispered something in his favorite student's ear. The younger man also took a savage look on his face as both turned to look at Neji._

_Neji met their eyes with a glare of his own, but distinctively whispered under his breath, "… I should've stayed home."_

_--_

_Not an hour later, Tenten was lying on the floor, laughing so hard that Lee had to literally beg her to calm down, before having to resort to simply taking her from the room._**  
**  
_"Neji!" Gai grinned widely, "You look very youthful!"_

_"I.Hate.Your.Guts." Neji muttered through gritted teeth, his eyes closed in morbid embarrassment. "Now can I take it off?"_

_Gai looked up and down at Neji, now clad in stretchy green spandex, before shaking his head. "No, you still need to get the haircut!"_

_Tenten's head popped through the door, soon followed by Lee's. Both obviously wanted to see Neji's reaction._

_"Forget it," the prodigy quickly replied. "I humored you this far, Gai-Sensei, but you are not, in any circumstances, laying a finger on my hair!"_

_The kunoichi spoke from the doorway. "Aww, Neji, you can't deny birthday wishes!" She then had to duck one of Neji's shoes as it was hauled her way._

_Lee then made himself known. "Either we cut your hair or we let the fangirls in! Kami knows how much they'd pay to see the great Hyuuga in spandex!" Then came another Nice Guy Pose, along with Tenten's humorous laughter._

_-End-_

"Took me months to burn all the pictures those fangirls took," Neji grumbled good-naturedly as people pelted away with laughter. Even Lee, who had been so heartbroken moments before, was now laughing wildly at the memory. But it soon choked as he realized it was his turn to speak.

Slowly, he made his way up front, before Neji gently touched his arm with encouragement and went back to sit down.

"I don't know what to tell you all," Lee started with a sigh, looking around the audience. "I don't know whether I should tell you about the time where Gai and Kakashi tried to explain to us why women had periods, or all about our Springtime Picnics of Youth…" (1) He was silent for a few seconds before finally settling on one.

_-Lee's Story-_

_A war cry was heard a few meters away from where Lee was sitting as he watched Tenten throw an array of weapons at Neji. The latter, without batting an eyelid at the thousands of pointy things being hurled his way, began to spin his Kaiten. They had been practicing this technique of Neji's for days now and the boy was already showing some incredulous development._**  
**  
_Meanwhile, Lee watched on jealously. Both Neji and Tenten could keep themselves stuck to trees by chakra, but he couldn't even manage that feat. Both could use any jutsu they wanted, yet he wasn't able to mold chakra properly, so that barred him from many doors. He looked away from the fighting pair, distressed by the fact that he couldn't even train with them._

_Suddenly, a rustle to his left made him look up._

_"Well, Lee!" Gai grinned as he gave the youth a thumbs-up. "Why aren't you training with your teammates?"_

_"I-I can't…" the boy murmured tearfully. "I'm not good enough for them, Gai-Sensei…"_

_Gai felt himself lose his smile as the boy brought his knees to his chest, hugging them in the process. He then raised his eyes to the two sparring pre-teens, knowing that they'd fare quite well on their own._

_Kneeling in front of Lee, Gai brought back the smile to his face and said, "Then how about you and I go train together?" He then proceeded to give him a Nice Guy Pose. "Lee, on this day and moment, I can promise you that I'll turn you in the best shinobi in this village, excluding our Hokage! If I cannot do that, then I will train every single shinobi in the village to learn their skills, then pass them on to you!"_

_Lee blinked, wondering if his Sensei was bluffing. But seeing the honest grin displayed over his face, the youth felt a rush of warmth hitting his chest. Also breaking in a weak smile, Lee stood up and nodded._

_"Good!" Gai exclaimed, beginning to march away with Lee on his heels. "Then come with me! You need a youthful look with that new attitude of yours, Lee!"_

_Minutes later, Lee was dressed and had his haircut. His eyes were shining wildly at how close to his Sensei he resembled and he practically started crying again. The beautiful green shades of the outfit, the shiny and bouncy haircut, the contrast of the orange legwarmers… He loved it._

_"Gai-Sensei…" he murmured tearfully, "thank you so much…"_

_Gai was about to give him another Nice Guy Pose, but Lee threw himself in his arms and began weeping. The older man, slightly stunned, reluctantly drew his student in his arms._**  
**  
_"I never had someone who believed in me, Gai-Sensei!" Lee whimpered. "But you do! I'll never forget you Gai-Sensei, no matter what happens!"_

_Sensing his chance, Gai prodded eagerly, "Or…?"_

_Lee blinked curiously after detaching himself from Gai. "Or what, Sensei?"_

_"You made a promise, Lee!" Gai boasted with a smirk. "If you break it, what will you do?"_

_Suddenly at loss, Lee thought precariously about what his answer would be. Finally, after brightening, he shouted, "If I don't remember you, Sensei, then I'll teach everything you taught me to others! No matter what!"_

_"That's my student!" Gai bellowed, before proceeding to show Lee how, exactly, to do a Nice Guy Pose…_

_-End-_

By the end of his speech,. Lee was once again crying helplessly, yet a smile covered his face at the good memories. Lowering his voice to a whisper, he turned around to look at the grinning picture of Gai, holding his three students preciously in his arms once they had all turned Jounin. The most recent, and last, picture of Team Gai.

The ceremony ended on a good tone and most people began heading back home. Lee remained at the casket, soon joined by Neji and Tenten. Kakashi also lingered behind a few minutes, yet left not long after to give the trio privacy.

Lee remained stuck in front of the perimeter of the empty area for a few more minutes and Neji and Tenten took a few steps away. It was his very last moment with the man who had taught him everything he knew. Carefully placing his hand on the smooth wood, he whispered softly, "Thank you again, Gai-Sensei, for believing in me when no one else would. Deep down, I know that you don't want me to be upset, Sensei. You died as a hero, without a doubt. I'm very, very proud of you." A rustle of wind picked up and it suddenly began to rain, mixing with Lee's tears. "I'll always owe you for giving me a chance."

"E-excuse me?"

Lee had been so enthralled in the moment that he had failed to sense the faint amount of chakra meaning from child behind him. He was a small boy, possibly still in the Academy, with jet black hair and frightened eyes. Instantly, he pulled away with fear when Lee stared at him, obviously realizing that he had bothered something important.

"I-I'm sorry!" he whimpered, taking a step back. He blinked repeatedly, water drenching his pale skin as it fell from the sky. "I won't bother you again."

"No," the Green Beast murmured soothingly. "It's fine. What do you want?"

The boy gulped, visibly nervous. "I-I heard a Jounin passed away recently. I'm sorry…"

Lee chuckled softly. The boy visibly didn't know that he was standing directly besides the mentioned man's corpse. He nodded, then prodded gently, "Yes?"

"I-I was wondering if you might tell me some stories of him…" he murmured. "He once showed me how to throw a kunai the right way. I remember he told me that one day he'd present me to his favorite student. Would you know him?"

Lee almost laughed again. "Without bragging, I can proudly say I'm that student. Tell me about yourself."

"My name's Hotaka…" he murmured hesitantly. "And I'm in my last year at the Academy. I'm a bit worried I won't make it to Genin this year and I'll have to retake the grade again…"

Sensing the boy was about to cry, Lee knelt down and placed a soothing hand on the side of his face, lifting his chin in the process. "I'm sure you will pass, Hotaka. I'll even have a word with your teacher if you don't!" He gave the youth a Nice Guy Pose.

Hotaka's eyes began shining brightly as he stood up a little bit straighter. "Really?"

Lee nodded in answer and the overly-excited boy blurted out hurriedly, "Then can you be my Sensei? I want to learn from you, Lee-Sensei!"

Giggling, the bowl-haired shinobi agreed proudly, ruffling the hair of the young boy. "Of course, as long as Tsunade-sama accepts."

"I'll go ask her right now!" Hotaka squealed, dashing off in the distance. Surely the Hokage wouldn't even take the time to listen to the rants of a pre-Academy student, but if the boy had as much guts as Lee imagined…

"He'll make a fine shinobi one day," he whispered as he straightened.

A few seconds later, he felt a strong hand clasping him on the shoulders. He knew it was Neji, who had observed the scene quietly a few meters away. Tenten was now to his side and had taken his hand in hers, smiling peacefully.

Lee murmured carefully, "I see myself in that boy."

"And I see Gai-Sensei in you," Neji answered, a small smile displayed on his face. "You will be a perfect Sensei, Lee, just like he was."

Lee broke out in a smile as he raised his face to the lightning-filled sky. _'If I cannot do that, then I will train every single shinobi in the village to learn their skills, then pass them on to my student. That, I can promise for you, Sensei…' _


	10. Prompt 9

**A/N**: Haha, that's a little bit shorter than the last one. XD Just to give you all a break, lovely readers. Once again, though this didn't turn out the way I expected it to. Oo oh well.

For those who'll wonder: Why an owl? Well, think the following: what's his bloodline limit?  
Take care!

**Prompt Nine: As evening twilight fades away, the sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.**

It had been definitely, without a single doubt, one of the most grueling days the group of shinobi had to endure.

The ten masked ANBU kept running, even though they all felt ready to crumble. They forced themselves to keep the man dressed in pale beige in sight, or else it would mean the end to their career.

Finally, the man halted on a branch slightly higher than the rest and raised a hand to stop the people behind him. They all obeyed as he straightened and turned around to face them. The carefully crafted mask, an owl with bigger tinted eyes, faced them threateningly as he said, "This is it for tonight. Everyone camp up as soon as the instructions are done."

The crowd nodded in understanding. Their leader pointed at the nearest ANBU and said, "You, go fetch some firewood and light a fire." The figure bowed in understanding and dashed away.

The captain then proceeded to team the rest in four groups of two, all of which would guard for exactly an hour and a half. It would give everyone exactly six hours of sleep, which would have to be enough during that mission. After they had received their shifts, they all dispersed in their respective groups to bring up their tents. Not ten minutes later, everyone was down and asleep.

The leader hopped down to the fire, currently absent from watch, and took a seat. He stared into the flickering flames tiredly, wishing for sleep even though it wasn't quite allowed.

His partner then arrived and sat down slowly on the log besides him, not saying a word. They remained in complete silence for a few seconds, but the captain soon reached over and slid his arm around his partner's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" the woman whispered, a teasing note striking to the tone of her voice. "What if someone sees us?"

"Byakuugan," the leader whispered, then scanned the area visibly. "No one's within at least two hundred meters and all our members are hard to sleep. You should relax, Tenten."

The woman sighed and reluctantly parted with her mask, dropping the pretty doe to the forest ground. "This was a long day, Neji! You're pushing us way too much!"

"Just enough," the man replied, also tugging off his mask. Both kept their hoods on for security, though they knew they could afford only a bit of foolishness. After all, this was an S-Class mission, the hardest one could ask for.

Which also meant it could be their very last night together.

Shivering, Tenten slid closer to Neji, allowing him to gather her in his arms. She was worried; he could feel it through the jerkiness of her actions.

"We shouldn't have accepted this mission…" she groaned, taking his hand in hers. "It's way too dangerous, I've just been an ANBU for a year!"

"Tsunade knew what she was doing when she placed us together. I'd never let anything happen to you and she knows it," the captain replied sternly, clenching his jaw at the mere thought of losing the woman he loved so much.

Tenten scoffed lightly, lightly pressing her head on his shoulder. "I saw that today. You nearly got impaled by those men back at the river. Seems everybody these days know exactly where your blind spot is! When I said it was too dangerous, it was because of you!"

Neji forced himself to stifle a laugh, gently reaching over to skim a finger against her cheekbone. "But then again, Tsunade also knew that you would never let anything happen to me either. So we're pretty much covered."

She smiled weakly and nodded, ending the conversation. Neji also gave his part of silence and the two quietly listened to their calm surroundings, the glow of the fire warming them comfortably.

"Neji," Tenten suddenly whispered, a grin glued to her face. She tugged a hand out of her cape to point at the sky. "Look!"

The captain trained his eyes towards the opening of the trees. He smiled tenderly as he noticed what had elated her so much. The sky was littered with thousands of tiny stars, all glowing feverishly against the black canopy of eternity.

"What a beautiful night," Tenten sighed with happiness. "Too bad we're here instead of back home."

Neji nodded; he understood exactly how she felt. He too longed for his home, to see his friends and family. "Soon, Tenten. I promise you."

"Only a few months," she retorted, obviously sarcastic. Then she noticed the pain that flashed through his eyes and hurriedly cupped one of his cheeks with a cool hand. "Don't take it that way Neji. It's just that I miss everybody. But then again, if I'd be back home, I'd be going insane with worry for you."

Neji looked down, struggling with inner troubles. He knew that, when beginning their mission over six months ago, he had made a promise to erase the bonds he and Tenten had. He'd had to, or else he never would've been able to fully concentrate on the task at hand. At first it had been rather difficult to push the nagging feeling away that she could be attacked at any moment, but he had learned to trust those surrounding her.

No one in their camp knew of their relationship. It was only when the day would've been almost too much for him to bear that he'd request her as a night guard with him. There, under the darkness, he'd pull her readily into his arms and would crush her in a needing embrace. Neji's byakuugan could study the chakra rythm of their fellow ANBU and could tell whether or not the person was asleep. Their secret was safe.

But he had only allowed himself hugs and sometimes even long embraces like he was allowing himself tonight. Earlier that day, when they had been attacked, his eyes had always been checking up on her. But once he had missed a kunai being hauled at him, since he had been focusing too much on the kunoichi. Thankfully, another member of their group had deflected it, instantly saving Neji's life. The captain had made a mental note to promote that man as soon as they'd get home.

"Tenten…" he whispered tenderly, allowing himself to run his hand over her back sensually.

The girl also lowered her head, understanding the need. He hadn't kissed her in six months. Six long, agonizing, torturous months. Returning the sentence he had told her earlier, she pressed a hand on the side of his neck and answered, "Soon, Neji. We'll be home soon."

He pulled away slightly to study her, letting his eyes linger on the soft lips he loved to kiss. His heart constricted painfully, desire lighting his eyes, but the kunoichi shook her head. If they'd exchange only a single peck, they'd be done. Neither would be able to return to being "just acquaintances" for the rest of their mission. They had to be strong.

They remained staring at the sky, until something special occurred.

"Neji, a shooting star!" Tenten gasped as the aster flew over their head. "Make a wish!"

He almost chuckled at her childish antics, but knew that it was a way for her to remain sane. They were in such a cruel world, that if neither took the time to remember who they truly were, they'd never remember.

A few seconds passed before Tenten pulled away and smiled at Neji. "Do you think that if two people make the same wish on the same shooting star, it'll come true?"

The shinobi brought his eyes up to the sky once more. "It has to."

Tenten giggled softly, finally able to tear herself from Neji's arms. "Then ours will come true, Neji."

He nodded, knowing they had to return in their respective roles. Their hour of solitude was almost up, anyways.

Soon, he would be home with her once more.

Soon, he'd be able to kiss her as much as his heart desired.

Soon, the wishes they made that night would come true.


	11. Prompt 10

**A/N**: I just had an epic fail about this chapter. Last one, best prompt you could ask…

And I do a miserably mediocre job at best.

I had a mental picture. Once again, it didn't turn out good at all. Ending was flat. It was horrid. XD I'm only posting it because I feel bad. Also, because I'll never be able to focus on my new ShikaTema if I don't. So here we go.  
I might redo it later though!

Take care!

* * *

**Prompt Ten: One kiss breaches the distance between friendship and love.**The kunoichi smiled softly as she felt a depression occurring on the bed besides her. Cracking her eyes open, she stared at the handsome boy sitting besides her. He looked even more heavenly with the unnatural glow of light bearing down upon him, his face blank.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly, her voice barely audible over the beeps of the machines besides her. "I've healed completely," Neji assured her before narrowing his eyes lightly. "It is I who should be asking you that question."

Definitely the understatement of the year.

"I'm fine," she hurriedly put in, desperate to change the conversation away from her medical condition. It was bad enough that she was sitting in the hospital and that he was visiting her; there was no need to dwell on what was going on _in_ said room.

After she spoke, an awkward silence filled the room. Neji and Tenten both shifted their eyes away from each other's uncomfortably as seconds ticked by.

They remained so for a few minutes, until the stoic Hyuuga stood up roughly. "I'm going to leave. I'll come back later."

He stomped towards the door, but her pained voice stopped him in his tracks. "What happened to us, Neji?"

The prodigy clutched the doorknob, stiffening with the question. "Nothing. It'll be exactly like before, Tenten."

If only he had controlled himself a few days ago…  
**  
**_-Flashback-_

Gasping, Tenten sank wearily against the rough wall, her heart racing. The air was stuffy inside such a small space and was devoid of any lighting in the darkness of the night, yet at least here she was safe. Gone were the hundreds of shinobi that had jumped upon Team Gai that night.

Minutes later, she heard a scuffle at the entrance of the narrow passageway and gasped softly, trying in vain to stifle her erratic breathing. She was almost certain that the person was far from being an enemy, but in these kinds of situations, she could never be sure.

Soon she felt the brush of cloth as the person squeezed in besides her. He then stopped moving once he was settled in a comfortable-enough position.

"N-Neji?" she whispered as softly as she could, knowing that no one else on Earth could manage to be as silent as he. "Are they gone?"

"I think so," he replied just as silently.

It took a few moments for the kunoichi to speak the question that was burning on her tongue. "What happened to Lee and Gai?"

Neji chuckled carefully besides her. "They were just cutting through those ranks of shinobi. Don't worry about them."

Tenten shut her eyes. It was strange to have Neji talk the way he was doing at the moment but she knew that he was only doing it because she was terrified. She felt him stiffening besides her as he activated his Byakuugan, scanning around them.

"We're safe for now," he said with a small nod, returning serious. "Honestly, Lee and Gai went to hide on the other side of the coast. I told them to meet us back at Konoha. We had no choice to split up, Tenten."

"I know," she replied as she leaned her head against the cold rock. Her eyes then bulged slightly when Neji began to slide out of their cave. "What are you doing?"

**  
**"Come out," he ordered sternly, raising his voice now that he knew they were safe. "I need to examine you."

Tenten's eyes watered as she managed to crawl out with her arms hanging limply at her sides. Her mind almost shut down as she refused to think, refused to let herself imagine the extend of the damage done to her.

Once outside, Neji opened up the smallest of fire using a match from his pocket. Once he had enough light, he outstretched an arm towards her, palm facing skyward and fingers uncurled.

Still upset, Tenten raised one of her limbs and placed her own right hand over his, looking away.

It was so quiet that she heard him swallow painfully at the sight. She herself didn't want to face what had happened. The steady pain coursing from her hands all the way through her arms told her everything. He raised her second hand to study it as well and she bit her lower lip to keep herself from screaming out.

After a few tense moments, she finally had the courage to question, "Is it bad?"

"Worse than I thought," he dully replied. "Keep them outstretched for a few seconds."

Tenten uncomfortably complied as she watched him sit on the ground. Her own eyes finally trained on her arms and she coughed loudly to restrain the choking sob that slid out.

Her palms were utterly scorched, bleeding freely. The skin on her fingers were mostly torn off or burnt, going all the way to her wrists. Now that the thrill and adrenaline of the fight had worn off, she was beginning to feel the pain such wounds would produce. Gritting her teeth, the kunoichi then attempted to curl her fingers into fists, but soon realized that only the bones of her left thumb weren't broken.

Forcing her mind away, she lowered her eyes to look at Neji, who was unwrapping the thin bandages from around his legs. Most shinobi kept those to strengthen the bones in case of a vicious punch or kick and Neji had adopted that practice years ago.

Less than a minute later, the long bandage was free and he reached over to touch her face. Plunging his eyes deeply into hers, he whispered gently, "This'll hurt."

"I know that," she replied with a curt nod, ready for anything. Carefully, he fished out a scroll and opened it, letting the thin parchment fall to the floor. After a look of agreement, he carefully placed the sturdy wood between the woman's teeth.

Neji first started softly, but then began tightening the bandages around her left thumb. Once he was done, he locked his eyes onto hers and, with a small wince himself, twisted her index finger backwards.

The kunoichi gasped and hollered loudly despite the wood in her mouth. She felt the bones snapping back into place, though it hurt like nothing else. Both physically and mentally.

She had always relied on her hands to get herself ahead in the shinobi world. Never once had something this serious happened to them. They were her tools. Without her hands, without her fingers, she was nothing.

Hence why she allowed Neji to continue fixing up her left hand instead of impaling him.

Once he was done, he solemnly reached for the piece of wood to give her a few minutes to breathe. But the kunoichi only bit down and shook her head, offering him her right hand.

"This one will be worse," he warned. "You almost got it literally burnt off. Most of the skin is just hanging there by pure chance. I won't be able to be gentle as the last time. Are you sure you don't want a break?"

She only shoved the hand closer.

He smiled lightly in understanding before lowering his head, focusing on the task at hand. He began to try to put the fingers back in their place, yet the blood was gushing out too intently and he even doubted there was enough muscle in there to keep everything together. There was a good enough chance she could lose that hand if he didn't tie it up right now.

She began squirming uncomfortably before him, soon attempting to pull her hand away. Yet he only clutched her tighter, bruising her unmarred skin. He hurried up, rendering the task even more painful, all while frightfully scanning the area with his Byakuugan. There was somebody approaching.

Finishing, he tied up the last knot and stood up, kicking the remnants of the fire shut. "Someone's coming. Let's get back in that cave."

But the kunoichi was only staring at her bandaged hands, the stick still in her mouth. Her entire body was swaying softly and her eyes were rolling around unseeing. Neji swore under his breath. Silently, he picked her up and dragged her away into the cave, attempting to ignore her moans of pain.

Once he was at the very edge, he gathered her in his arms, pushing her face into the crook of his neck. He could see the intruder coming closer and any sound could alert him now.

"Tenten you have to be quiet," he whispered, brushing her hair back. "Please."

She nodded and finally spat out the piece of wood, once again burying her face in his clothes. Her entire body trembled with agony, threatening to take her into unconsciousness. If it came to battle, Neji would need her help. She couldn't fall asleep now…

Suddenly, the kunoichi felt him quietly raising her face. He then pressed his lips against hers frantically, which instantly stifled her irregular breathing.

He kept his lips onto hers for a few seconds; following the enemy nin as the latter rushed by. Her felt her leaning against him for support, her eyes fluttering close with the intensity of the kiss.

When he was certain that there was no more danger, he reluctantly pulled himself away. She was shivering in his arms, her breaths ragged and uneven. He was silent for the rest of the evening, refusing to answer her when she attempted to talk to him. He was silent when Gai and Lee appeared, disheveled but triumphant. He was silent when they made their way back to Konoha and placed Tenten in custody of the hospital. He was even silent when Tsunade and Hiashi quizzed him about his mission.

Because if he would've spoken, his entire world would've tumbled down.

-End of Flashback-

Tenten was regarding him hesitantly as she repeated her question. "Are we going to spend the rest of our lives like this? Just exchanging a few awkward words and then one of us leaving?"

"Maybe we'll have to," the shinobi replied, twisting the doorknob with every intention of getting out.

She sighed with frustration. "What changed, Neji? You kissed me to shut me up! You're my best friend; I can understand that you wanted to save my life! You don't have to worry about it; I know it meant nothing to you!"

The prodigy only scoffed slightly and released the pale knob, his hands falling to his side. "That's the problem, Tenten. It did change everything."

She cocked her head to the side, suddenly confused. "What do you mean?"

Neji tilted his head to look at her. "A kiss can breach the distance between friendship and love."

As soon as he had spoken the words he left, his robes fluttering behind him as the door shut, cutting him from Tenten's view. But the girl was still staring at the blank spot he had left, an unimaginably big smile glued upon her features.

"Neji…" she whispered to herself, leaning back down on the covers. "I really do hope you come back soon. We have more than enough to tell each other for next time. I promise it won't be awkward the slightest."


End file.
